Animorphs: Delphi Chronicle
by NashaKamalani
Summary: Delphi, OC, tells the story of her life and adventures with the Animorph team.   Slight shipping does occur.
1. Prologue  Introductions

This is just a Prologue explaining the regular Animorphs humbug. You know, the whole backstory of the groups morphing capabilities, the Yeerks, the whole shenanigans.

Most of it can be skipped over but it does sort of talk about Delphi's powers.

Have fun and feel free to comment!

**Prologue**

My name is Delphi. I can't tell you my last name, even though I wish I could, and I can't tell you where I live. Because, like my friends, I have secret. And with that secret I have enemies.

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

You see, we're not alone in the universe. I know in this day and age we're going out and exploring space and finding wonderful things out there. New stars and planets. It's all very exciting and fascinating. But even further than what we've been able to see, further than most people can imagine, there is a war going on.

There is a race of aliens called the Yeerks. They are parasites. They look like harmless slug like creatures, but they crawl their way into the heads of other species and take control of their body. Beneath the delicate snailish bodies lay cynical, manipulative, cunning, and cruel minds.

The Yeerks are invaders. They are the bad guys.

There are other races that are fighting the Yeerks. But they can only go for so long. The Yeerks are smart, and selfish and survivalist. There are many of them and they keep coming at you no matter what you do.

The worst part is that you can't tell who is infected with a Yeerk. We call them Controllers. You see, when a Yeerk takes over your mind it can read your memories, your actions, your speech patterns. It can act like you, and to the rest of the world you are the normal you. Only you're not. Only you can't control your body or your eyes or your mouth. Only you are trapped and screaming and crying in your own head.

Anyone can be a Controller. Your mom, dad, brother, sister, best friend, teacher, police officer. You wouldn't ever know until it's too late. Until there's a Yeerk crawling into your own head.

It's a terrible war and the outcome affects all of us, even you. Because this war is not limited to space. It's happening here. It's happening now. The Yeerks are on Earth.

That's what we're up against, my friends and I. My friends call themselves the Animorphs.

Remember how I told you the Yeerks are the bad guys? Well the good guys are the Andalites. They are beautiful intelligent people. They look kind of like blue centaurs with a tail that has a blade at the end of it. They have two sets of eyes. One set are like human eyes, but larger. The other set rests upon eye stalks at the top of their head. The eye stalks can turn 360 degrees around and can move separately from each other. It provides full view of their surroundings.

Andalite's have no mouth so they developed the ability to speak through their mind. They project their thoughts towards a person and you can hear those thoughts in your own head. My friends call it thought-speak. I call it telepathy. But I digress.

The reason I bring up the Andalite is because it was an Andalite that gave my friends their abilities.

One night an Andalite ship crashed while my friends were walking home. They came to the fallen ship and met Elfangor. I wish I could have met him. From what I was told he was a graceful honorable person.

Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul gave my friends the ability to morph. They touch an animal and can absorb its DNA and then they can turn _into__that__animal_. It boggles my mind even now.

Elfangor also warned my friends about the Yeerks, before he was killed by the worst Controller we know: Visser Three. He is the only Yeerk known to ever possess an Andalite body, which means he is also the only Yeerk who also has the ability to morph.

The Animorphs have made themselves up as a small resistance. They've hurt the Yeerks, yes, but we are a small group.

Okay, so where do I fit into all this? Good question. I wasn't there that night when the Animorphs _became_ Animorphs. I don't have the power to morph. But I do have powers.

I am what you might call…psychic.

Calm down calm down I can hear your disbelief through the pages. Psychic, really? I hear you say. Come on Delphi, you're losing it. Animal morphing children is one thing, future telling mind reading people is another.

But hear me out, just for a bit.

I can't read people's minds or predict the future on demand. But I can feel people's minds.

I've had it my entire life so it's hard to explain. How do you explain sight to a blind person? The best way I can describe it is I can feel a person's presence. I can sense a beings mind, their life force or aura. Even if they're in the next room. It's like hearing someone's voice when they're down the hall and around the corner. But you can also see through the walls and look at them clearly while they're talking.

Everyone has a different feel, just like everyone looks different. Their aura's change a bit according to mood, but that's like different facial expressions.

I can also 'though-speak'. Usually my human friends can only do that when they're in a morph, but I can do it normally. And my thought speak isn't limited by distance, like theirs is. No matter where a person is on the planet, all I have to do is concentrate on them and I can talk in their mind. And if they want, they can thought-speak to me too, I just have to be concentrating on them at the same time to hear it.

I don't know anyone else with this ability. Like I said, I was born with it so for a while I didn't even know I was different. It was my mom who finally questioned me and discovered I had this gift.

My mom and I are really close. She's my best friend. She had me at a young age but her and dad said that I was the best thing to happen to them. After dad died mom and I became a lot closer. She's busy all the time with her job, so I had to learn to do a lot of stuff by myself, so mom and I act more like roommates then mother and child. Still, I know she loves and cares about me. I can sense it. I don't know if this is a product of my ability or if it's normal, but there's never been a doubt in my mind that my mother loves me.

Which is why it's so hard to lie to her all the time.

Our group, the Animorphs, has to be careful about our secret. My mom isn't a Controller, but that doesn't mean she never will be. If I told my mom, if any of us told our parents, and then one day they were infected, then our secret would be reviled.

The Yeerks think we are a group of Andalites. Of course they would, they know of no other people that can morph. So if they found out we were human they would be able to take us and turn us into Controllers and that would be more morph capable Yeerks and one psychic one.

So it's better to for them to think we are Andalites hiding on earth.

In that respect, though, they are partially right. One of us is an Andalite. His name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, or as we call him, Ax. He's one of us. His ship also crashed on our planet and he's the younger brother of Elfangor. He misses his older brother, and looked up to him a lot. I try not to bring up those memories. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you.

That's where I was headed now, to see Ax. He lives in the wooded area that my house is near the edge of. That's how I met him, all of the Animorphs. When I first moved here two years ago…


	2. Chapter 1: A New Home

Here we are with the actual beginning. Yay!

Enjoy and feel free to comment.

**Chapter 1: A New Home**

I threw the last cardboard box onto the floor and then collapsed onto our new couch. Mom, who was right behind me, did the same exact thing. We lay exhausted on the not yet broken in furniture.

"Whose idea was it to move again?" Mom complained.

"Yours." I shot at her.

"Oh right." She wheezed.

We were silent for a bit, letting out aching muscles rest.

We'd spent the entire morning putting all of our worldly possessions into the back of a moving van; spent most of the day cramped inside the front of said van, and then spent the night unpacking. We were pooped.

"I'm hungry." Mom said from the silence.

"Me too."

"Chinese?"

"Defiantly."

Chinese food was sort of a traditional slack off meal for mom and me. Neither of us usually had the time or energy to make dinner, so often times we would just order out. When we were looking at houses, we made sure the one we purchased was in delivery distance from a local Chinese Recreant. It was pretty sad that we were that addicted, but it was also a nice thing that mom and I connected over.

Mom launched herself off the couch and ordered our regular.

"Let's unpack a bit before the food gets here."

I groaned. "Do we have to? We've been working _all_ day. I want to go outside."

Mom put her hands on her hips and looked at the ceiling while she thought. "Why don't you start unpacking your room first and then we can eat dinner outside and then we'll be done for the day."

"Deal." I said. I got up and grabbed a box labeled DELPHI on it and marched into my new room.

It wasn't really a bed room, to be honest. I'm pretty sure it used to be a back porch or something, and the last owners built walls and a roof and added a floor to it to make it a closed off sun room. There were a lot of big wide windows and a door that led to the back yard. It wasn't as big as one of the bedrooms, but that was okay because I didn't really have that much stuff.

I was really excited to move into it. The bed was already set up, it just needed sheets and the like, and my dresser and book case was all set up too.

"This is going to be so awesome." I said to myself.

I was excited. Genuinely enthusiastically excited. It was like there was an electrical current running through me, like static electricity, and it just charged me up and made me really hyper. I was going to go nuts with this feeling. It was like it was my birthday, only it wasn't and instead of getting presents I was getting a new house and a new school and a new life.

I didn't know what was going to happen in this new town, but I knew it was going to be big. I felt like I was ready for all possible happenings. I felt like I could take on the world. I felt like I could do anything.

I unpacked my clothes first. I didn't have a lot. I never cared what I looked like in clothes, as long as they covered me up and kept me warm I was fine with anything really. Most of my clothes tended to be black or gray or blue or dark green or brown. I think mom bought me clothes in those colors so that even by random combination most outfits would match. Told you she was smart.

Clothes didn't take too long because Mom had forced me to fold them before I put them into boxes. It really was just a task of taking them out of a cardboard box and putting them back into a bigger wooden one.

Next came trinkets and books.

I loved my books. It was mostly fantasy adventure, but the rest were science text books. I'd been interested in science, especially the human mind, since I was little.

Maybe it's because I was trying to explain why I had my extra senses. As far as I could guess it was a random genetic defect that enhanced certain sensory areas of my brain. But then again, it could just as likely of happened because random magic fairy dragons farted near my mother while she was pregnant with me. The world may never know.

Besides my books there were a few pretty rocks I found out in the woods, little knick knacks I got from my birthday, a lot of empty journals and pens and pencils.

By the time the Chinese food got to our house I was almost done. The doorbell rang just as I was shifting through old Christmas cards from my grandmother.

I jumped up, eager for food. Mom got to the door before I did.

I don't know how to explain what I felt next. I guess I was too focused on food to really notice it before. But when that door opened it was like something had exploded in my face.

The man with our food looked simple enough. He was short with black hair and brown eyes. He smiled politely at my mother as she took the food. But he felt…wrong. So wrong.

Something like dread flooded through me. For one thing, I felt that there were two beings at our door step, even though there was only one man. One being was very strong. And mean. Confident and cruel. That wasn't too bad. I'd met people, men and women from mom's work, who were like that. But it was the other being that sickened me.

The other was weaker. It was scared, pathetic and withering. It was crying and screaming. And it was trapped and alone. So desperate. It was like it was screaming at me. Directly into my ears, just screaming bloody murder and not stopping to breath or slow down. Just pure terrifying horrible pleading screaming. All I wanted to do was put my hands over my ears and make it stop. I'd do anything to make that feeling stop. My insides were going to burst, my heart was quivering and was going to explode. My brain was turning to mush.

Just stop the noise!

The feeling lasted for all of a minute. My mom closed the door and the strong feelings were cut off. I could still sense it but it was weaker.

But I still felt hollow and sick. I felt like I was going to throw up, but there was nothing in my stomach. I felt dizzy and wobbled on my legs.

I fell over and fainted.

I woke up with mom's worried face above me.

"Del! Delphi honey are you okay?" she sounded scared.

I sat up and saw the boxes around me and felt the new carpet below me. I snapped back to reality. "Uh…yeah." I said. "I guess I'm really hungry." I smiled weakly.

My mom looked concerned and helped me to the table, even though I assured her I was feeling fine.

I didn't like lying to mom, but what could I tell her? I had always kept my other sense sort of a secret from her. It was a subject I never brought up or mentioned. She always seemed worried when we talked about it, because she didn't know what it meant about me, so I didn't talk about it. I didn't want her to worry. Something like this would bring her to full on mother mode. She was already over worked and stressed from the move; I didn't want to add to it.

"You look really pale." She told me, sitting me at one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry. I'm fine now, really. I just…got excited for the food. And I'm really tiered. It's been a long day." I smiled at her again. "Where's the fried rice?" I asked.

I was feeling fine physically, but not mentally. I was hungry, but eating the Chinese food wasn't as fun as it normally was. I wrote it off my fainting spell as exhaustion and hungry, and I smiled everything off and kept telling mom I was okay until she eventually believed me. I helped mom unpack some of the kitchen stuff and then excused myself for bed early.

I lay down in my new room. I stared up at the unfamiliar speckled ceiling and breathed in unfamiliar night air. Even though it was night, the large windows cast in a lot of the moonlight. It gave everything a weird blue tint. Normally I would have marveled at this simple yet fantastic occurrence. So beautiful it was, seeing this strange place with my familiar items lit by a full moon. But I couldn't enjoy it.

What I had sensed scared me. Plain and simple. I had never felt something like that before. _What__the__hell__could__it__mean?_ I asked myself. _What__was__going__on__there?__Why__did__I__feel__two__people__in__one__body?__Why__was__did__one__feel__so__harsh__while__the__other__so__delicate?__Why__was__the__second__one__in__so__much__pain?_

I rolled onto my side and tried to sleep. To push it out of my mind. But a question kept floating around, even in the depths of my sleep.

_What__could__it__mean?_


	3. Chapter 2: The School and the Forest

Ohhoho! Another chapter! How nice.

I promise the Animorphs will show up in this series soon. Someday. Hopefully.

Hope you like it and feel free to comment : )

**Chapter 2: The School and the Forest**

I felt it again at school.

It wasn't as new so my reaction wasn't as harsh. I didn't faint, I just felt sick, but I didn't faint.

It was when I was meeting the principle. He introduced himself and showed me the office and gave me my schedule and sent me on my way.

He _seemed_ nice enough. He smiled at me and told me he was available if I ever needed someone to go to. But the whole time he was talking I could hear the pleading inside his head. And I could feel the other presence as well. It was definitely two separate beings, and one was definitely bad news.

He wasn't the only one. There were a few other people in the school that had the weird double presence as well. A teacher here, a student there. They all acted so normal. It was almost over whelming. It was a good thing my other school had been ahead of this once, because I didn't pay attention once that whole week. I just couldn't wait to leave and walk home, do my homework and then enjoy my new house. It was just…creepy.

I was looking forward to the weekend. I was going to go explore the woods.

Mom never worried about me going into unknown forest lands by myself. I could sense any dangerous wild animals long before they could ever hope to pick up my sent or hear or see me. The same went for any creepy Jason-like serial killer people. And my sense of direction was superb. The only issue really was if I ever got hurt. But my telepathy worked better than any phone, and if I really need her, I could just tell my mother that way.

So when Friday after noon rolled around I was ecstatic to get home. My last period class was Math. I kept looking at the clock, trying to will time to go faster.

Unfortunately the teacher wanted to make things as awkward as possible before we were freed from her class. She put us in random groups of two to work out a worksheet together.

I hated working in groups. I always felt uncomfortable around other people. I mean, what could I say? "Hi I'm Delphi and I can sense your aura. How was your day?" I don't know. My sense made me feel weird around other humans. For some reason I always felt like I was spying on people _all_ the time. I mean think about it: people cover themselves up. They never really act on how they're really feelings, at least not in public. And especially not in school. Everyone puts up walls to guard themselves. A mask to hide their vulnerabilities and frailties. And here I was casually seeing past all that as simply as I see the shirt on their back.

I was paired up with a boy. I didn't really catch his name so I did that awkward school thing were you just don't use it. He was okay looking, I think maybe he had some Latino. He seemed pretty relaxed and made a few jokes about math that I smiled politely at. He was very complex, though. Smart, oddly wise, extremely skeptical, and he had been through things that had hardened him. He felt more like a war veteran then a school kid.

"You're staring at me again." He said.

"What?" I blinked. I had been trying to detach myself from his aura, out of respect for privacy and all that, but he was rather interesting. Apparently my eyes had naturally slid over to his face while this was going on. "Oh. I'm sorry. I'm really spacy right now. Can't wait for the end of school."

This is why I can't make friends. I'm always lying to people. It's become a natural reaction now. I lie every day. Lie to the teacher, lie to other students, and lie to the freaking lunch lady. Lie lie lie. I hate, it makes me like a horrible person. Which I guess I am now. But what else can I do? I couldn't tell this boy in my math class I was actually reading his life force, now could I?

"This week has been really long." I continued, adding a little sigh and a roll of the eyes to be convincing. "The weekend couldn't come soon enough."

"Amen to that." He said, giving me one of his smiles. It was a nice smile. He had good teeth.

"Do you have plans for the weekend?" I asked.

I could tell he was thinking something else, but what he said was, "Just hanging around with my buddy and playing video games. A typical weekend." The way he said it, and the way his aura shifted, made me feel like I wasn't the only person in this conversation not telling the whole truth. But he wasn't doing it to be mean, just to cover something up.

I quickly glanced down at his paper, where his name was. It was Marco. "Are you up to something, Marco?" I asked smirking. I felt his aura with draw into its self and immediately regretted talking.

He gave a smirk right back, "Maybe I am."

I chuckled and he chuckled and we both left the class feeling horribly awkward.

I couldn't get home fast enough. I bolted. As soon as I was off school grounds I just booked it. I don't know why. I felt like I was running away from the school, from a place that was filled with secrets that I didn't want to know about.

I threw my bag at the front door and plodded to my room. I took my shoes off and put on my hiking boots and changed my shirt to a short sleeved one. It was all I could do to keep my hands from shaking with excitement as I left a note on the kitchen table and then rushed to the edge of the tree line.

The forest began rather suddenly. There was yard and then there was the wild. No gradual transition, just one jumped to the other. I stood on the threshold and closed my eyes. I tried to block out everything I heard and smelt. This was the one time I gave my full concentration onto my other sense. I focused in on it.

Gradually it was all I knew. It was like looking at the world and only seeing the energy of life. Life everywhere. It was bright and would have blinded me if I was looking at it with my eyes. But my eyes were closed. I was looking, feeling, touching, smelling, the whole world with my mind. I was opening myself for the planet. I felt a deep connecting peace. Suddenly there was only brilliant life. No go or bad or pain or sadness; just life.

Slowly I closed my self to only the woods before me. There were a few large animals that crawled about but nothing near enough to worry about. Bugs and squirrels dashed about the ground and trees. Skunks waddled through brush. Deer fed on grass.

Without opening my eyes I stepped forward. I walked for a bit this way, only sensing the life around me. It's a nice sensation, cleansing in a way. I felt my fear and stress melt away.

I went on a bit and took a deep breath, regaining my ability to smell. The ground smelt moist and earthy. I could smell the rotting wood and a light breeze blew faint scents of flowers. I opened my ears and heard chirping and humming of birds and bugs. And then I opened my eyes and took in the lush color of the fauna and fallen twigs and branches. I smiled and enjoyed the sensation of the sun on my skin, filtered by leaves far above me.

To anyone else I would have looked like a freaking weirdo. This odd girl that took a few steps into the woods with her eyes closed and then just stopped in the middle of nowhere. I have to admit it's a bit silly of me to do this. Still, it was enjoyable and made me happy.

I pushed down my other sense so I was only feeling the auras about a mile or so around me, keeping feelers out for any large predators even further than that. And then I just walked. A simple little trek through the trees, like any 'normal' person would do.

So really, I sensed it by accident.

I was coming up to a little brook that bubbled up at the world and rushed over smooth black rocks. It was pretty and I was a bit thirsty so I sat beside it. Something in my mind caught my attention, like hearing a twig snap behind you. At first I thought it was just another wild life animal. It seemed to ease into the nature well enough. But it was somehow different.

I looked up and around and tried to pinpoint it. It was moving fast and was far away, so it was difficult, but the more I concentrated the more odd it became to me. Was it an animal? Maybe another person?

For a horrifying second I thought it might be one of those other people, like the Chinese Food delivery man or the principle. But as I honed in on it I determined it wasn't.

I breathed in deeply to calm myself and went back to concentrating. I really had no idea what it was. So I went to go investigate.

You know how when there's something strange in unfamiliar woods you're not supposed to go towards it? Yeah. I guess I forgot that safety tip.

It took me about half an hour to really get close to my new discovery. It moved rather fast. By that time I was so concentrated on my task I didn't think about much else.

Then at one point it started moving towards me. And I stopped. That's when I started to think. What if the interesting aura belonged to something unfriendly? To a wild animal I'd never met before? One that could eat me.

I hadn't really thought about that. I had just found it curious and went to go find it. What was that saying? Curiosity killed the cat? Well right at that moment I felt like one dumb cat.

It came closer to me. I took a step back. Still closer and fast. I took another step.

Now, it was perhaps about two miles away from me, so in reality it was probably a coincidence that it was running in my direction. However at that moment I felt like it was coming to get _me._

I turned and began to walk home. At first I walked, like it was no big deal. Then I walked a little faster. Then I was jogging. Then I was running. Then I was sprinting like I was in a race. Adrenaline shot through me and I took off faster than I had going home from school. I made it home in record time. When I broke through the trees I trotted to a walk and plotted to the kitchen and drank some water.

I wondered what to do next for a bit. I had planned on spending a longer time in the woods, but that was out now. I decided what I wanted was a cold shower.

I grabbed some new clothes from my room and went to the bathroom in the hall. My heart was still beating a hundred miles per minute and my head throbbed as my blood pushes through my veins at a faster pace. But the water felt wonderful on my skin. Soon I was feeling much better.

I was ravenous at dinner that night. Mom brought home hamburgers from some fast food place but I was too hungry to care about the health or moral complications. I ate my meal quickly and then I made myself a sandwich from groceries we got earlier that day.

"What in the world is up with you?" Mom asked.

"Mmf humfinf." I said my mouth full of bread and turkey. I shook my head and swallowed. "I'm hungry." I said.

Mom raised an eyebrow. "Well I can see that. Busy day?"

"Oh yeah." Was my reply.

Mom put down her cup of after dinner coffee and looked at me. I knew that look. It was her mother look. It was her _I__'__m__concerned__about__you_ look. "I haven't really been able to talk to you that much this week. How was your first week for school?"

I shoved the rest of my sandwich into my mouth and chewed for a bit. "You know." I finally said. "It was…uh…school."

Mom made a face. "Did you make any friends?"

I shrugged and popped open a can of Coke. "It's only the first week, mom. I was a bit busy adjusting to classes and stuff."

"Still…" she trailed off and stopped to think about how to phrase her next sentence. "Kids your age need friends. Someone that's going through the same things so they can relate to one another."

I gave a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm going to find someone that can relate to me."

I meant it as a joke. It had just come out. I don't know why I said it, really. But as soon as the words slipped from me I kicked myself mentally in the butt.

Mom pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows. "Honey I know it can be hard for you sometimes, to let other people try to understand you, but your whole life isn't just your…your…"

"Freakishness?" I supplied.

"…your gift." She finished.

I sighed and put my own drink down. I know I should have stopped while I was still ahead. I didn't like talking about my other sense. I didn't like unloading everything on Mom. She already worked so hard and had enough to deal with.

But I was being selfish. I was in a new place with scary people. I felt like a little girl again and this was my mommy. I _wanted_ to be selfish and tell her everything so she would take it away. "It's not that easy." I tried to explain, "It's like I'm the only person in the world that can see and everyone else is blind. And deaf. And mute. And whatever the word is for people that can't smell. I feel guilty because I have this whatever I have. I don't want to get close to someone because I don't feel I deserve their trust because from the first moment I'm even around them I invade their privacy!"

I stopped and stared down at my hands. I didn't look at my mom but I knew she was struggling to find the right thing to say to comfort me and to understand.

"I know it's hard. I know it will never be easy for you. I won't lie to you about that. But you can't blame yourself for these things. You were just born with this gift. You can't keep blaming yourself for it."

I snapped my head up. I didn't need my gift to read between those lines. It was in the way she said it. "Mom." I looked her in the eye. "It's not your fault either. I'm sorry I brought the topic up. Don't feel like you're to blame for any of this."

Mom looked away for a moment. She was silent. I did my best to move away from her with my mind. To give her as much privacy as I could. I knew she didn't like that she couldn't help her daughter.

Finally she spoke and when she did she gave me a real smile. "I know. I try not to. I just want what's best for you. All I can tell you is something my mother told me. You will never find a person that will love you for who you really are if you never go looking for them in the first place."

That night I lay in bed thinking again.

I had always felt alienated, this was a fact. But maybe it was because I never went out of my way to find someone else like that too. For a moment my mind flickered back to the presence in the woods. It had felt strange and abnormal, like it didn't belong where it was. Like how I felt. Maybe I had left too quickly. It never felt threatening. Not really. Maybe wary, cautions, but not harmful. Even if it was just an animal, would it really hurt to go looking for it again?

Mom was right. If I wanted something to understand me I would have to go looking for it myself.

With a nod I decided with certainty that next weekend I would go looking for it again. And this time I wouldn't stop till I found its source.


	4. Chapter 3: Exploring

Someone commented on the last chapter saying "update please" and I thought, "oh good idea".

Enjoy! And as always, comments are welcome.

**Chapter 3:** **Exploring**

It was Monday morning and for once in my life I was ready early. I still had about ten minutes before I had to leave for school, so I was standing idle in my room, not sure what to do with myself. I had eaten breakfast, another surprising act, so there was nothing else to do.

I could hear mom rushing through the house, grabbing her things in a hurry. In her mind, fifteen minutes early for work was considered being late. In that respect we were very different.

With nothing else to do I sat on my bed. I couldn't help but have my mind drawn to the creature in the woods. It was so mysterious. For the moment, I could pretend it was some wonderful exciting thing. Something happy, preferably, or friendly.

Something that would finally makes sense.

I threw myself back onto my bed and lay down with my arms behind my head. "Everything's been such a mess, hasn't it?" I asked no one.

I thought about the first night we moved in. It was only a week ago, but it felt so much longer. The man with the evil thing inside him. And then later, in school, other people with the same thing. Was it just this town or was it something else? Something in the water, maybe? Or pollution? I chuckled to myself. Maybe it was just an evil tumor.

I could joke, but really I was sort of freaking out.

I rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hands and let out a long sigh. Maybe I was over thinking things. Maybe there was a simple explanation and I was just worrying over nothing. Perhaps this was normal here. Just people who happened to have split personalities or something.

I had to admit, the idea of this all just being some silly personality trait was appealing. It meant there was nothing wrong, and nothing to be scared of.

"That's it then." I said to myself. "I'm just going to act like nothing is going on, get through the week without thinking I'm crazy, and then see where I go from there."

I jumped out of bed with a new confidence and decided to just go to school early. I smiled at people, made polite conversations with my desk mates in class, and pretended and hoped beyond all reason that I could keep lying to myself long enough to make it to Friday.

I was living by an old saying: Fake it until you make it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to last that long.

The end of the week rolled up and hit me by surprise. I went to school giddy and excited, eager for the end of the day. I was nervous about going into the woods and felt somehow I would finally get the answers I wanted. My excitement died down by first period though, and it had all but been squashed by second. Like anyone going to school knows, the hours on Friday feel like they stretch out to last a decade. It went by so sluggishly that in my last class I let my head thunk onto the desk in defeat.

I swear school is designed to teach people how to withstand torture. If anyone can sit through final period on a Friday without the constant longing to just get up and walk away then they would be perfect candidates for super spies for the government. If anyone has the iron will to sit and listen to a lecture they couldn't care less about than it wouldn't matter if they were captured and forced to stand in buckets of ice or got their teeth pulled by the enemy trying to get information. They'd just smile and say "You think this is bad? Try Mrs. Hendericks history class."

When the bell rang I jumped and honestly surprised that I wasn't actually trapped in a never ending hell. The ringing sound invigorated me even more that I was at the beginning of the day. I was suddenly pumped with enough adrenaline to make an elephant explode. I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door before the teacher could even turnaround from the board. I was out of there. I forwent decency and ran through the hallways and out into the sunny world, dashing to the sidewalk and to home. My hands were shaking by the time I tossed my backpack to the kitchen counter.

I usually write mom a note before I go into the woods when she's not around but I didn't have the patience or the will power to sit down and scribble out one. Instead I shot her a mental message while I threw off my shoes and made my way to the door: _GoingtothewoodsMomokayloveyoubye._ I got barley a lazy recognition before I severed my connection to her and reached the line to the forest.

And then I stopped.

It was like I had been sticking my head out the window of a car going 100mph and then the car just froze. The rushing and wind and hair blowing just ended suddenly and I was left with a bazar feeling of not knowing what to do next.

What had I been planning to do exactly? Charging into the woods was never a good idea, and probably even a worse one if I wanted to talk to an unknown mysterious being.

I stood still for a few moments thinking of my next move. Ever so carefully I stepped into the threshold of the woods and let it consume me.

I went to the area I had gone to before with the pretty stream and the nice rocks to sit on. I sat cross legged on one of the bigger boulders, with my back facing the direction of my home. I slowly expanded my mind outward in a semi-circle, creeping through the woods mentally, ever so carefully, until I finally found the creature again. When I felt it's presence I drew back quickly and observed its energy from afar. Then slowly I narrowed my concentration until I had blocked out the rest of the world save for a sliver winding straight from me to the strange being. I didn't touch its mind like I had the other day. I was ready this time.

I slowly slid my mind toward the being and skirted around its consciousness, careful to not actually touch it. It was standing still, calm and unaware of me. I couldn't make out what its physical shape was exactly, but I felt it wasn't too big, maybe a bit bigger than a deer, and had four legs like one too. It's difficult to sense actual shape, especially from the physical distance I was from it.

I very slowly moved my consciousness next to its own, and lightly connected them. I successfully joined our minds without it noticing. I didn't pry or try to get into any details I just allowed myself to share in its outer most being.

I learned a few things from that existential connection. One, "it" was a "he", and two it was definitely alien. It was a creature of cities and technology, I could feel that in its soul, but it wasn't like our cities. No, these were more open, more intertwined with wildlife. I could feel that he was comfortable in nature, but not entirely at home in it either. But the most surprising was that his mind seemed very open to telepathy, it was a natural part of his being. Maybe that's how his people communicated?

I sat and watched for a while. It was like bird watching, being a part of the animal's world without them even knowing. After a time I decided I wanted to get closer to him. I walked carefully, paying close attention to the creature's movements and behavior. It seemed like it was just hanging around.

As I got closer I was able to sense a few details about the creature. Firstly, it was male. Or at least it had the same aura that was what male is on earth, though for all I knew that same type could be considered female where they came from.

Secondly the creature was unfamiliar with his surroundings, but didn't seem to be scared. He was exploring.

I found that…endearing.

When I was close enough I decided it was time to mask my presence. It is a trick I learned a bit back, where I suppress my own aura to go unnoticed. I can't do this for long though, because it gives a massive headache. It doesn't make me invisible, but it does make me extremely easy to pass over. Like if you hear a creek or snap in your house while you're busy and you just pass it off as the wind.

Still, I decided to try to approach the creature from behind, so he wouldn't be too startled by my presence.

As quietly as I could, I moved closer to the being. When I got close enough I hid behind a tree. I could hear him snapping twigs softy, and even his soft panting. I took a deep breath; cautiously making sure my aura was still suppressed. Ever so slowly I peeked out from behind the tree.

Amongst the green fauna and ancient sun light a creature of no earthly creation stood. He held his alien head high, bright green eyes forever watchful. The creature was still and then slowly, like time had decelerated he turned towards me.

Our eyes locked, and the world changed forever.


	5. Chapter 4: A Whole New World

Can't a psychic girl get a break?

HA HA no

**Chapter 4: A Whole New World**

Time had stopped. The wind was not to be found, my heart wouldn't budge, breathing was right out. I stood, staring at the creature, taking in his form. What a strange beast he was. Blue and tan, horse and human, familiar and alien. We were both frozen to the spot, staring at one another with big, surprised eyes.

Then the creature rushed at me in a sudden flurry of speed. I shouted in surprise and backed away quickly, stumbling over a root but not falling over. I turned and ran to the next tree. I could hear hooves stampeding behind me. I shot my arm out, grabbing the tree and using my little momentum to swing around it. The bark scrapped my arm, but I didn't really notice. The creature shot passed me but was able to turn around quickly.

I ducked behind the tree and ran back in the direction I had come from. He was faster than me, but instead of attacking me from behind like I thought he would; he dashed in front of me and turned, forcing me to skid to a halt to avoid crashing into him. I slipped on the leaves and this time I did fall. With panicked sincerity I pushed myself backwards until my back was pressed against yet another tree. I yelped and stood as quickly as I could, putting my hands up in surrender.

The creature walked towards me. He had a long muscular tail that ended in a slick blade. I would have thought he looked rather stunning if said blade wasn't now being pressed against my neck.

Somehow, the back of my mind was able to have enough coherent thought as to say _Well this plan worked out well_.

Who are you? he asked. I was shocked to hear a voice in my head that I hadn't invited, but it wasn't a big surprise as he didn't have a mouth.

"Uh." I said in response.

What stealth technology are you using? He asked, his voice more pressing.

"I didn't…" was all I could squeak out. _Eloquent. _ I told myself.

There was a moment of pause, he moved his tail back slightly, but still poised to attack. I heard some kind of murmuring then, like he was whispering. Odd.

Though I was terrified, I gently pressed my mind towards him, and the talking became 'louder'. -ould contact the others. I am unsure as how to proceed. the creature said.

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to someone else. I kept my mind open and the response to him came.

Oh boy, this is a tough one.

I tried to sense where the other voice was coming from but it was too distant and confusing somehow. So I was left alone with the creature.

He was quiet for a long time. I could feel him contemplating, wondering what to do with me. I kept my hands up because I was unsure if I was allowed to put them down.

"So…" I tried finally, my heart pounding in my ears. "What's your name?"

He looked down at me with his two main eyes, but the stalk ones kept their constant vigilance.

My name is of no consequence to you, Yeerk.

"Rude." I muttered. "Also, what's a Yeerk?"

Do not play dumb with me.

"Do I look like I'm playing?" I asked flatly, pointing at the tail blade still aimed at my face. He didn't respond. I sighed. _This wasn't what I had in mind for today._ I told myself. Then again…what _did_ I have planned? I hadn't really thought past the idea of meeting this creature. There wasn't much of a strategy for afterwards.

We stood for a long while; his main eyes never stopped staring at me. Piercing, though they were, their wide shape made his face look kind of cute. Like a fawn. A blue fawn with a death blade ready to cut off my head. But still cute.

After a bit I realized he didn't want to hurt or kill me, and was simply detaining me while his friend got the 'others'. My feet and legs began to ach, and my hands were getting numb from being held up. I had calmed down enough at this point, and the adrenalin rush had run its course, leaving me suddenly and heavily exhausted.

"Can I put my hands down?" I asked.

No. he answered curtly.

"Can I sit down, at least?"

No.

"Can I squat?"

No.

"Can I roll my eyes at you?"

No.

I gave him a look that was as close to rolling my eyes without actually doing it. I decided that if I was going to die, I might as well be comfortable when it happened.

"I'm going to sit down." I told him, and sat on a fallen log that was next to me.

Hey… he protested but there wasn't much he could do to stop me unless he was willing to hurt me.

"Now." I said when I settled on the log. "If you're not going to tell me your name, then I'll tell you mine. I'm Delphi. Hi."

I didn't expect him to respond, but he did with a simple Hello.

I smirked, at least it was something. He was silent once more and I didn't know what else to say, so I took the moment to pull myself together. Now that I had time to think about things, I decided to approach the whole thing with a level head and make list of the things I knew.

Fact 1: This was an alien.

Fact 2: He thought I was a Yeerk. I don't know what that was, but the way he said it told me he clearly did _not_ like them.

Fact 3: He had talked to someone else and they had said that others would be coming soon. Were the others also alien? If not, what could they be?

Fact 4: Next time there's a strange creature in the woods it's better if I don't go running after it like a dog to a moving car.

While I was collecting my thoughts I noticed a strange presence coming towards us. At first I thought they were a group of people. Then I felt that they were animals. And then back to human. I stared off into the forest in the direction they were coming in. I pushed my mind forward to get a better 'look'.

It was complexly confusing, shifting auras between animal and human. There were five of them all together. And they weren't the same animal either, I could figure out that much. I squinted, though they were too far off for me to see. I concentrated on only one of the beings, sorting out the aura. Slowly I was able to figure out what was going on. The human aura was dominant, absorbing and controlling the animal aura. The animal aura was very flat and undetailed, with no personality of its own. The human aura was complex and strong, young but serious.

I didn't know what this meant, or what they were. But the alien wasn't shocked when they came into sight.

A tiger, a bear, a wolf, a gorilla, and a hawk come up to a girl and an alien in the woods.

That sounds like the set up to a joke, and was sadly a good description of my life today.

All I could do was stare with my mouth open before looking at the alien and saying, "Friends of yours?"


End file.
